The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is a new chapter in the J.R.R. Tolkien saga. In the premiere episode, “Shadow of the Past,” echoes of war haunt Middle Earth as we learn of Galadriel’s (Morfydd Clark) quest for vengeance.
This story is set in the Second Age. There is peace in the land, but not everyone is at peace. A familiar elf sees the darkness coming, yet no one believes her. The growing darkness spreads fast. At the same time a stranger arrives, disturbing the simplest of people.
THE VOW
Galadriel remembers a time when there was no darkness. She was born in Valinor, before the First Age, during the Years of the Trees. Even as a child she was bold. Her older brother Finrod (Will Fletcher) does his best to teach her to let the light guide her instead of darkness. She asks how she is to know which lights to follow. Finrod gives her a simple answer because only Galadriel can decide which path is right for her.
The elves had no word for death. They thought their joys would be endless. They thought their light would never dim but it did. Morgoth destroyed the light of Valinor. So, the elves went to war. They left Valinor for Middle Earth. Orc, goblins, Balrogs and men fought for Morgoth. The war lasted centuries and many elves died,
Morgoth was defeated, but his darkness still spread throughout Middle Earth by his most devoted servant, Sauron. Finrod vowed to find Sauron and destroy him, but Sauron found him first. He killed Finrod and marked him with a strange symbol. It was that day that Galadriel decided to finish what her brother started.
Galadriel hunted Sauron for centuries. The war was forgotten and the elves began to believe that Sauron was no longer a threat, but Galadriel continued to search. She leads her company of Elvin warriors to Forodwaith, the Northernmost waste. Her companions began to doubt her leadership. They asked, many times, to turn around and head home. Even after encountering a snow troll, Galadriel was determined to continue searching. Her company laid down their swords in protest, forcing Galadriel to abandon her quest.
RHOVANION
Two travelers make their way across the plain. They speak of Harfoots and call them dangerous folk. After the travelers pass a forest, Sadoc Burrows calls for the all clear..Sadoc is the leader of the Harfoots, a relative of the Hobbit. The villagers are alarmed by the travelers, but Sadoc says everything will be fine
Meanwhile, Elanor Brandyfoot, aka Nori (Markella Kavenagh) leads a group of children to a nearby field full of berries. Her best friend Poppy Proudfellow (Megan Richards) warns her about wandering too far, but Nori is not afraid. Until one of the children finds a large footprint. She looks around and sees a large wolf. That’s when Nori decides it’s time to go.
LINDON, CAPITAL OF THE HIGH ELVES
Elrond (Robert Aramayo) is writing a story while sitting in a tree, hoping to not be found. A messenger arrives and informs him that he will not be able to attend the council meetings because he is not an Elf Lord … yet. She also informs him that Galadriel has arrived. Galadriel tells him about her search and the strange mark that she is certain leads to Sauron. She intends to ask the King for fresh soldiers. Elrond thinks it’s a bad idea.
Galadriel demands to speak to the High King directly to make her request. Elrond informs her that her company did not defy her. She defied the High King. He has chosen to honor Galadriel instead of punishing her. Elrond warns her not to test the King again. Galadriel still wants to talk to the King. Elrond says she can speak to him after the ceremony.
HARFOOTS
Nori finds out about the travelers when she returns home and she’s sorry she missed them. Her mother, Marigold (Sara Zwangobani), warns Nori about going too far from camp. Nori questions why the travelers are in the area and wonders if there’s trouble in the south. Marigold says that is no concern of theirs.
Nori is curious. She’s most like a Took in that way. She wants to see the wonders of the world. Marigold tells her that elves have forests to protect.The dwarfs have their mines. Men have their fields of grain. Even the trees have to worry about the soil beneath their roots. The Harfoots are nomads, they don’t have the same worries. They move according to the seasons. Nobody goes off trail and nobody walks alone. They stick together and that’s how they survive.
HIGH ELVES
High King Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker) honors Galadriel and her company by speaking of their duties as peace keepers. He says the war is officially over and the land is at peace thanks to Galadriel. As a reward, he is sending her and her soldiers to the Undying Lands. They are all happy, except Galadriel.
Elrond finds her later and tells her to be happy. She is at her brother’s shrine which is a statue of him carved into a tree. She thought she would be among them after she died. She decides to refuse the King’s offer and continue her search for Sauron. Elrond advises against that.
Elrond showed the High King the strange symbol. They agreed that the darkness is gone, but for Galadriel, the darkness remains in her heart. If she leaves, she will carry that with her. Elrond believes she will heal in Valinor. Elrond promises that if the darkness returns, he will fight for Galadriel. He won’t stop until he destroys Sauron. He says she has fought long enough and it’s time to put down her sword. She wonders what she becomes without her sword. Elrond says she will be his friend.
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SOUTHLANDS
Two elves make their way through a village in the Southlands. The villagers stare them down. Arondir (Ismael Cruz Cordova) stops at a tavern and hears tales about poison grass in the East. He asks a lot of questions about the story causing one of the patrons to get angry. The patron says the men who stood with Morgoth have been dead for a thousand years. When will the elves let the past go? He says one day their true king will return and pry them out from under the elves’ boots. Another patron pulls the young man away and Arondir goes to the well in the back.
A woman named Bronwyn (Nazanin Boniadi) is at the well too. She gives Arondir a vial of rare seeds. He tells her about their healers. The elves heal faster than humans so healers heal the soul instead. Arondir looks at Bronwyn lovingly. But then the tavern barkeep comes outside and Arondir walks away quickly.
Arondir returns to his companion Medhor (Augustus Prew). Medhor warns Arondir about getting too close to humans. There have only been two pairings of an elf and a human and both ended in tragedy. Arondir understands, but doesn’t acknowledge his warning.When Arondir and Medhor return to the tower, they are informed that the war is officially over and they are going home.
THE WATCH WARD
Arondir goes to the top of the tower. He’s been stationed there for 79 years. The Watch Ward checks in on him and tells Arondir to be glad he never has to look upon the humans again. He believes the humans are still treacherous. The Watch Ward tells Arondir that he will begin a new life when he returns home. Ardondir says he was a grower before the war. And tells him to keep in mind that he spent 79 years watching over the humans not because of what their ancestors did, but because of who they are. He tells Arondir to be grateful he will never see them again.
Bronwyn goes home and prepares some medicines. Her son Theo (Tyroe Muhafidin) lives helps grind up the plants. Theo tells Bronwyn that he can hear mice scratching under the floorboards. Bronwyn looks outside and sees Arondir walking up to her back door. She goes outside to speak to him.
Arondir is in love with Bronwyn, but hasn’t told her. She knows though. Theo interrupts them because someone is at the front door asking for her. A farmer brought his sick cow for Bronwyn to look at. Arondir joins her. The farmer doesn’t know why the cow is sick, but says the cow wandered East a few days ago. Arondir squeezes the cow’s udder and black liquid comes out. Arondir decides to travel East and Bronwyn wants to go with him.
Theo meets up with his friend and they run to a barn. There is a secret compartment in the floor of the barn. Theo pulls out a piece of cloth. Inside the cloth is the hilt of a sword. His friend tries to grab the hilt and pricks his finger on the edge. The boys hear someone coming. Theo’s friend leaves to see who it is. Theo looks at the hilt and the mark of Sauron fires up on the hilt.
STRANGE SKIES
Galadriel obeyed the High King and got on the boat to Valinor. Gil-galad tells Elrond that if Galadriel stayed, she would have kept the evil alive. He is grateful to Elrond for convincing Galadriel to leave Middle Earth. It was hard for him, but he did it. And now they can move on. King Gil-galad introduces Elrond to Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards), an Elvin smith. He’s about to start a new project for the High King and Gil-galad wants Elrond to work with Celebrimbor.
Sadoc looks at the stars. Something is off. He says the stars are watching for something. Nori hears him talking and starts asking questions. He says she’s too curious to be a Harfoot and wonders if she’s part squirrel. Sadoc says the skies are strange.
Arondir and Bronwyn head to the town where she was born. He says the people there are still loyal to Morgoth. Bronwyn knows those people, some of them are her family and friends. That’s why Arondir is with her instead of the Watch. He wants to be close to her because she has always been kind to her. They see smoke in the distance. The town is burning.
THE UNDYING LANDS
As the boat gets closer to Valinor, the attendees remove the armor from Galadriel and her company. They take their weapons as well, but Galadriel has a hard time letting go of her sword. One of the soldiers looks at her and she lets go. The light gets brighter and they can hear singing. The company starts singing with the voices, except for Galadriel.
The clouds open up and the light is brighter. The company is focused on the light, but Galadriel can only think about her sword. She hears her brother’s words in her head about finding her own light. At the same time, the inhabitants of Middle Earth see a comet in the sky.
Galadriel focuses on the light, but starts to back away. One of her soldiers sees her and reaches out to her. Galadriel is about to take his hand. She hears her brother tell her that sometimes they can’t know which lights to follow until they touch the darkness. The light overcomes the ship.
The comet lands near the Harfoots village. Nori sees it and runs to where it landed. At the same time, Galadriel dives into the Sundering Sea. She watches the ship disappear. Just then a leaf falls near Gil-galad. He picks it up and sees a darkness in the leaf, killing it. Nori gets to the crash site and sees a man lying in the middle of the crater.
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Watch the first two episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power on Amazon Prime
News Editor, Senior Contributor, and Press Editor. Coordinate breaking news, trailers and press releases. I also contribute reviews, recaps and interviews. Creator of the Indigenerd Wire, a column dedicated to the Indigenous creatives in pop culture.
GGA's resident Indigenerd, a little bit rez, a little bit classy...with a love for all things Star Wars, zombies, science fiction, and Indigenous. My ultimate goal is to start my own podcast.
